International Day of Slayer Petitions the White House

Submitted by: The Dark Legions Archive

2009-05-19 00:12:09

(OPENPRESS) May 19, 2009 -- Directors of the International Day of Slayer, a holiday for metal music and those who enjoy the music of Slayer, have petitioned the White House to make the holiday official.

"Heavy metal music is the central belief of a culture that exists among us, and Slayer is the perfect spokesperson," said Brett Stevens, a member of the International Day of Slayer (IDoS) Task Force. "We are a pluralistic nation composed of many cultures, some of which you're born into and some you choose. For many of us, metal becomes the only culture that makes sense to us, and it's only fair we get representation."

According to the Webster's New Millenium Dictionary of English, pluralism means "a condition in which many cultures coexist within a society and maintain their cultural differences; also called multiculturalism." This describes the modern-day United States and Europe, where the homogenous nation has given way to many different ethnic, religious, and cultural group.

"Elective cultures," according to Stevens, are at the forefront of these trends: people in pluralistic societies grow up without inheriting the values, customs and philosophy of any single culture, so many of them will pick a replacement. Heavy metal, as an idealistic genre in which a philosophy of worship of power, hedonism and epic beauty dominates, provides meaning and unity to many who are seeking a replacement culture.

The International Day of Slayer was born back in 2006 as the "National Day of Slayer," at first a parody of the "National Day of Prayer" celebrated in the United States. As its popularity grew, its backers found support for making it an international holiday, since Slayer exemplifies metal culture and its spirit. Now in its third year of existence, the International Day of Slayer is celebrated on June 6th.

IDoS concedes it may be too much to ask the White House to hold an observance ceremony for Slayer this June 6th, but hopes that President Obama will privately listen to Slayer on this day like so many of his constituents. To aid him in this task, the IDoS task force has mailed a brand-new copy of Slayer's seminal classic, "Reign in Blood" to the White House. This also marks the first time a Slayer CD has been in the White House.

The requested proclamation is reproduced below:

Resolution

WHEREAS, Hessians are a legitimate elective culture that should be recognized with their own national day of celebration and

WHEREAS, Slayer is freaking awesome and one of the most influential metal bands in history and

WHEREAS, The theme of the National Day of Slayer is "Don't go to work, listen to Slayer," which reflects the imminent importance of Slayer in the lives of hessians across America and

NOW, THEREFORE I, Barack Obama, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, hereby proclaim the day of June 6, 2009, as National Day of Slayer, saluting the valuable artistic contributions of the band Slayer and the legitimacy of the hessian culture that supports them. And I call upon all Americans to listen to Slayer on this day and every day hereafter.

About Slayer

Slayer is a speed metal band from Long Beach, CA who specialize in themes of a mechanistic society manipulated by the occult. For over 20 years, their brand of high-intensity metal has been a watermark for the metal subculture.

About International Day of Slayer

The International Day of Slayer is an initiative by Slayer fans to create a worldwide holiday on June 6 for listening to the music of Slayer.